Process of knitting



M rch 14, 1 J. H. MILLER ET AL ,1

. PROCESS OF' KNITTING Original Filed March 1'7, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l John EJ117191;

j'mnklvans \VINVENTORS March 14, 1939.

J. H. MILLER ET AL PROCESS OF KNITTING Original Filed March 17, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 "a INVENTORS BY w M ATTORNEY originall-y held loop's and a coursevcr-courses of plain'knitting is 1or1arevformedl' This forms an Patented Mar. 14, 1939 PATENT ori ice PROCESS OF KNITTING f John H. Miller and Frank Evans, Martinsburg,

W. Va., assignors to Interwoven Pany, New Brunswick, N. 1.,

w New Jersey Original a Stocking Ooma corporation of plication March 17, 1937, Serial No.

131,396. Divided and, this application August 21, 1937, Serial No. 160,246

9 Claims. (01. 66-14) Our invention consists inth'e novel features hereinafter described,'reference being had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one manner in which we have'contemplated carrying our invention intoefiect, and said invention is fully disclosed in the following description andclaims.

"This application is a'division of our former application Serial No. 131,396, filed in the United States Patent Office March 17, 1937.

Briefly stated, our invention consists in a process of making a novel welt-for hosieryand the like, the said welt being particularly desirable for use at the upper end of a plain knit top for a sock or stocking in which an elastic thread is incorporated-in selected, and preferably spaced, courses, and locked into the'plain knit fabric at certain selected. and preferably spaced wales of the said selected courses, although the'said welt may be used in connection. with a fabric formed of either plainor rib knitting, with or without an elastic thread incorporated therein. a The fabric or welt produced by our herein described 'processis not claimed herein, as it 7 one needleto another across the space formerly occupied by a'removed needle, and an elastic forms the subject matter of our former application, Serial No. 131,396; above referredto.

In carrying our invention into effect, after Y forming one or more courses. of plain knitting, q

every other needle is removed-from the knitting I cylinder while 'holdingthe stitches thereon, and a plurality of courses are-knit on the remaining needles, the knitting: thread being floated from thread preferably of' rubber; or of the well known Lastexibeing carrled-around-on the outside of "the fabric,---preferably. without being fed to any f theneedles", during the formation of some or all of said lcourses: -The removed needles are then replaced in; the cylinder, still. carryingtheir annular tube or pocket which the several coils of elasticthre'ad are enclosed-and produces an anti-ravel welt; having acore ofthe plurality of V coils ofrubber thread, which will also have some effect as a garter member in preventing movement of the stocking top longitudinally of the ting on'alternate needles asabovev described, a plain knit top may be knitted. thereon with or without the incorporation of an elastic thread in 1 said top, or a rib knit top may be knit onto the sustaining plain knit top with elastic thread After producing the weltby plain knitincorporated therein as previously described and having united thereto a plain knit leg and foot, or a rib knit leg of 6 x 3 nib knittin or other form of rib knitting, as described in our application for Letters Patent of the United States filed March 5, 1937, and given Serial No. 129,206.

Referring to the accompany drawings,

Fig. 1 represents a seamless sock having our improved welt embodied therein, in connection with a top of-plain knitting having elastic thread incorporated in selected courses and locked into selected wales of said selected courses.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view representing a sectional view of the. welt and a portion of the top illustrated in Fig. l.

. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the welt formed integrally with a plain knit top not having elastic thread incorporated therein.

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view ofthe knitting cylinders of a circular knitting machine capable of carrying our invention into efiect.

Fig. 5 is adiagrammatic view showing a course of plain knitting held on all the needles of the circular knitting machine. 7

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing every alternate needle removed from the .circular series but holding their stitches;

7 is asimilar view illustrating the formation of a-courseof stitches upon the remaining needles and the feeding of an unknit elastic thread above the hooks of theneedles.

Fig. 8 is a similar view illustrating the formation of a succeeding similar course of stitches and .the feedingv of a succeeding coil-of unknit elastic thread. 1

Fig. 91s a detail representing apartial sectional view of thefabrlc at the stage indicated. in Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the removed needles returned to the circular series, still retaining their stitches.

Fig. 11 is a similar view showing the formation of a courseof plain knitting produced by. all the needles tocomplete the welt. 1 Fig. 12 is a similar, view to Fig. 9 showing the formation .of the welt at the stage indicated in Fig.10.-

Fig. 13 is a similar view showing the welt completed and followed by courses of plain knit- In our invention into effect, we find it convenient to employ a knitting machine of the type in which two .coaxial cylinderslocated one .above the .other and having their respective needle grooves in vertical alinementare provided having the usual hook and latch at each end-of each needle, so that all of the needles may be operated in conjunction with suitable cammechanism in one cylinder, for knitting plain knit fabric, while selected needles may be moved vertically into the grooves of the other cylinder while retaining the stitches thereon and caused to knit by suitable cam mechanism for the upper cylinder in conjunction with the non-selected needles remaining in the lower cylinder, for the production of rib knitting when desired. A convenient circular knitting machine of this type is the well known Komet machine and we have shown so much of one of these machines as is necessary for an understanding of our present invention.

In Fig.4 of the drawings, for example, l0 represents the lower knitting cylinder provided with vertically movable sliders ll, located in the grooves thereof, and having in this instance long selecting nibs l2 (on alternate sliders) and knitting nibs IS (on all of the sliders) for engaging suitable cams on the cam cylinder, indicated at I. Each of the sliders I l is provided at its upper end with a terminal portion comprising a. needle engaging hook l5 and a latch engaging extension l6 for connecting the sliders with such needles as are present in the lower knitting cylinder. 20 represents the upper needle cylinder provided with a series of sliders 2| engaging the grooves thereof and having selecting nibs 22 and knitting nibs 23 for engaging cams inthe upper cam cylinder 24. The upper set of sliders are also provided at their lower ends with a terminal portion comprising the needle engaging hooks 25 and latch engaging extensions 26 for connecting them with the upper ends of the needles when the latter are transferred to the upper cylinder, as hereinafter described.

The needles'indicated at 30 and 30', are provided as shown with the usual hook 3| and latch 32 at each end. When the needles are in the lower cylinder as shown in the lower part of Fig. 4, their lower hooks will engage the hooks ii of the corresponding sliders H, and the extensions l6 will engage the lower latches as indicated in the figure, so that the needles will be operated by and with the sliders I I. When any of the needles are in the upper cylinder as indicated in the upper portion of Fig. 4, their upper hooks will engage the hooks 25 and the adjacent latches will engage the extensions 26 of the corresponding sliders 2|, so that such needles will be operated by and with the upper slider. It will be obvious that the needles can thus be transferred from one cylinder to the other, as desired. When, for example, all of the needles are in the lower cylinder, the machine is adjusted for and will produce plain knitting under the action of the usual knitting cam mechanism of the lower cam cylinder. If alternate needles or groups of needles are transferred to the upper cylinderfor operation by thecam mechanism for the upper cylinder, the machine is adjusted for rib knitting if both cylinders are operated in conjunction with their respective cam mechanisms. In Fig. 4, we have indicated the lower cam cylinder at II and the upper cam cylinder at 24. The cam cylinder II will be provided with the usual knitting cams adjacent to the throat which is provided with a plurality of thread feeding fingers or thread guides in the usual manner, capable of movement into and out of operative position. One of said feeding fingers is supplied with a body thread or threads in the usual manner, and a separate finger is supplied with an elastic thread which may be a rubber thread or the well known -La'stex for example. The elastic thread feeding finger is conveniently the finger ordinarily used for laying in an additional thread when the machine is used for producing rib knitting-for a reason which will clearly appear hereinafter.

In carrying out our present invention by means of the Komet machine, for example, let it be supposed that all the needles are located in the lower cylinder and have been operated for the production of plain knitting, the loops of the last course of which are engaged by the hooks of the needles of the entire circular series. These loops indicated at a, in Fig. 5, for example, may be the terminal course of raveling courses a3 of a preceding seamless sock or stocking, as indicated in Figs. 9, l2 and 13, or they may obviously be the terminal course of a series of setting up courses if no previous stocking has been knitted.

To form the selvage every alternate needle, as the needles indicated at 30', having the long butts l2, are transferred to the upper cylinder, by suitable cam mechanism in the cam cylinder I (not shown). These needles are raised partway by the lower sliders, under the action of the cam mechanism to place their upper ends in engagement with the upper sliders, which hold the lower latches in open position, the loops previously drawn by' the upper hooks sliding down the shanks of the needles. As the cylinder revolves, the body thread is fed to all the needles, that is the upper hooks of the needles in the lower cylinder and the lower hooks of the raised needles Ill. The lower sliders are then disengaged from the raised needles III which are raised to their highest positions in the upper cylinder, each drawing a stitch through the loop on its shank, which is cast of! in the usual manner. .li'his leaves the elevated loops a of the course 'held on the lower hooks of the needles 30' in the upper cylinder and the remaining loops a, held on the upper hooks of the needles 30 in the lower cylinder, as indicated in Fig, 6, and in accordance with the normal operation of the Komet machine.

The upper cam cylinder is automatically adjusted at this time so as not to eflect the operation of the raised needles III in the ordinary manner provided in this machine. These raised needles therefore, merely hold the alternate loops :1 without knitting, while the body thread is fed by its appropriate feeding finger to the needles 3. in the lower cylinder which continue to knit circular courses, which obviously contain only half the usual number of stitches. One of these courses is shown at a2 in Fig.7, and these courses may be referred to as welt courses to distinguish them from the regular courses of knitting on all of the needles. A plurality of these welt courses are knitted, the number being sufflcient to form the tubular welt. We have found ordinarily that approximately ten to twelve welt.

courses are su'fllcient for a narrow welt, but the number is immaterial, and will necessarily vary according tothe size of the welt desired, the size of the body thread employed, the size of the loops and the number of inserted coils of elastic thread inserted in thewelt.

During the knitting of" the welt courses a2, the feeding finger carrying the elastic thread is moved into action, passing flrst into position to feed the elastic thread into hooks oi a plurality of the needles 30 suilicient to tie in the end of the rubber or elastic thread, and passing beyond the left of the figure a this needle feeding position to a position where the rubber or elastic thread will be simply laid or wound around the outside of the fabric being formed by the welt courses a2, without being knitted, the final position of this thread guide being substantially the same as that which it would occupy if it were used to lay in an extra thread during rib knitting.

In Fig. 7, we have shown elastic thread at b, and have also illustrated at portion of the elastic thread knit in plating relation with the body thread in one of the stitches, as indicated at b, for the" purpose of tying it into the fabric, This position of the needles and fabric and the elastic thread are also shown in a diagrammatic sectional view of Fig. 9, in which 0. represents the loop held by one of the raised needles 30', a2 reprethe first coil of the .sents loops of a successive welt course and-a3 represents the previously knitted terminal courses preceding the formation of the welt, which, as before stated, may be a portion of a preceding sock or stocking, and b represents the first course or coil of rubber thread or Lastex.

During the knitting of the welt courses, a plurality of coils or courses of the rubber or elastic thread 17 are woundaround the outside of the welt courses in parallelism as indicated in Fi 8, which shows two of the elastic spirals so positioned. Any number of coils of the elastic thread b can be laid or wound continuously upon the outside of the welt courses as they are being formed according to the size of the welt desired, but we have found that for a narrow welt comprising, say twelve courses, it is suflicient to apply, four of the spiral rounds of elastic thread, as indicated in Figs. 12 and 13, for example.

When the desired number of spirals of the elastic thread b have been wound around the welt courses, the feeding finger for the elastic,

thread is withdrawn and as it is retracted to its inoperative position it will pass again through the feeding position in which it feeds the elastic thread to a plurality of the needles 30, thereby tying into the fabric the other end of the elastic thread. As the feeding of the elastic thread occurs at a point where the needles begin to move downwardly through the knitting wave, the feeding finger for the elastic thread can be moved past the feeding position when it moves into operative position and again through the feeding position as it returns to inoperative position without interfering with the needles 30, as will be readily understood.

After the elastic thread has been discontinued and its end secured, the knitting of welt courses will continue until the desired number has been knit. The raised needles 30' are then transferred downwardly into the grooves of the lower cylinder, operatively connected with the sliders in the lower cylinder, and turned to their normal positions according to the usual operation of the machine, the said needles 30' which have retained their loops will be lowered by the upper sliders through said loops, until their lower ends are engaged by the lowersliders while a course of body thread is' fed to the hooks 'at the upper ends of all the needles. The upper sliders are then disengaged from needles 30', which are drawn down by the lower sliders to cast off the previously held loops, and leave loops a, which are nowheld in the hooks at the upper ends of said needles, as shown in Fig. 10, thus restoring I spaced courses series and producing an annular, tubular welt w containing the series of rubber strands or coils b, as clearly indicated in Fig. 12. -A complete circular course of plain stitches a4 is then knit on all of the loops 0. and a2, as indicated in Fig. 11, thus uniting the stitches or loops a and a2, and completing the formation of the welt. As a matter of fact, we prefer ordinarily to knit a plurality of these circular courses at, two or more, as indicated in Fig. 13, although this is not absolutely essential, as a single course of plain knit stitches is suflicient to complete the welt. Having completed the welt, the knitting may proceed in any usual or desired manner. The knitting of plain courses may continue to form the top of a' sock,

for example, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2- and 3, an

elastic thread indicated at c being introduced under tension in separated courses and locked into the plain knit fabric at spaced wales, preferably in vertical alignment in each course, in any one of the ways fully set forth in our application for Letters Patent of the United States Serial No. 129,206 filed 'March 5, 1937, and as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the intervening courses being knit with the body thread only, or the course or courses of plain knitting a4 (see Fig. 11), may be followed by courses of rib knitting, for example, 1 x l rib, such as is customary in the rib tops of socks and anklets, by transferring every other needle, as the needles 30', to the upper cylinder in the manner previously described, and forming rib work in the usual manner in the operation of this machine. Obviously, the leg of the stocking can be made in any usual or preferred manner by plain knitting or rib knitting (for example 6 x 3 rib), as described in our application above referred to, and

the foot of the stocking will be finished in any ered from the previous courses (iii-constitutingthe toe of a previously knitted sock, or set up courses as the case may be, in the usual manner.

In Fig. 1, we have shown a sock comprising the selvage w made as previously described, =-to the last plain course at to which is knit a top, indicated at t, formed of plain knitting and having incorporated therein an elastic thread 0, of rubber, Lastex, or other suitable material, in and united to the fabric at spaced and vertically aligned wales thereof, so as to provide floats on the inner face of the top t, the rubber or other elastic thread being fed under light tension sufiicient to draw the fabric into prevent it from working downward. It will be m seenthat the successive coils b of rubber or Lastex within the welt will also cooperate with the rubber or Lastex or other elastic threads 0 in the top portion in providing the form fitting effect and the self-supporting effect justdescribed, while at the same time permitting the full intended stretch of the welt and top necessary to enable it'to be drawn over the foot. I represents the leg of the stocking which, in this instance, is shown asformed of plain knitting without any rubber or elastic threads in any of the courses, and f represents the foot ofthe stocking provided with the usual heel and toe, in this instance, all of plain knitting. It will be understood that the top t provided with the welt w, can be made separately and attached to a leg of a stocking knit separately by stitching; looping, or otherwise, if this is found convenient or desirable, and in such case the .legof the stocking may be either of plain or rib fabric as desired, and as previously stated, the leg of the stocking whether of plain or rib knitting can be knit integrally with the top t provided withthe welt w. Where a stocking is knit without a form fitting or self-sustaining top, as for example in a lady's stocking, the welt to may be followed by courses of plain knitting without incorporating elastic threads therein, as indicated at I in Fig. 3. It will be understood that the presence of the elastic thread 1) within the welt w will have a garter effect in preventing the stocking from working downward, even in such case, and whether the tubular portion following the welt is of plain knitting or rib knitting.

It will be understood that the coil or coils of elastic thread which are enclosed in the welt are preferably fed and wound around the welt courses as hereinbefore described under tension, and the tension may be varied in any well known way to secure in the completed welt the desired amount of tension to make it form-fitting and to eifect a self-supporting function either alone or in connection with the form of top shown in Figs. 1 and 2, without materially limiting the stretch of the welt to an undesirable degree. Where the welt is formed integrally with the plain knit to'p provided with an elastic thread under tension in spaced courses united to the fabric at spaced wales in said courses, the tension on the elastic thread in the welt will be so adjusted that the welt will be contracted in the undistended condition of the sock to substantially the same extent as the plain knit top, in which the vertical rib like ridges simulating rib knitting are formed.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

, 1. The method of forming a selvage which consists in forming on a circular knitting machine a complete circular plain knit course containing a number or loops equal to the full number of needles holding selected loops of said circular course of plain knit loops out of alignment with the remaining loops of the course, forming a plurality of plain knit welt courses upon said remaining loops, and winding an elastic thread around said welt courses while supported by said selected loops, restoring said selected loops to their normal positions and forming a complete course of stitches on said selected loops and the loops of the last welt course to form a circular tubular welt enclosing said elastic thread.

2. The method of forming a selvage by plain circular knitting which consists in forming on a circular knitting machine a complete circular plain knit course containing a number of loops equal to the full number of needles holding alternate loops of'said circular course of plain knitting out of alignment with the intervening loops of said course, knitting a 'welt course of loops into said intervening loops, and continuing the knitting of a plurality of welt courses upon the first welt course, winding a smaller number of coils of elastic thread around the fabric formed by said welt courses while supported by said held loops, restoring the said held loops to their normal .positions'in the lastwelt course, and knitting a complete circular course of plain knitting upon the held loops and the loops of said last welt courseto form a circular tubular welt enclosing the coils of elastic thread.

3. The method of forming a salvage by plain circular knitting which consists in forming on a circular knitting machine a complete circular plain knit course containing a number of loops equal to the full number of needles holding alternate loops of said circular course of plain knitting out of alignment with the intervening loops of said course, knitting a welt course of loops into said intervening loops, and continuing the knitting of a plurality of welt courses upon the first welt course, knitting an elastic thread into loops of one of said welt courses, and winding said elastic thread around the fabric formed by said welt courses while supported by said held loops, to form-a plurality of coils thereof less in number than the number of welt courses, and again knitting the elastic thread into loops of another of said welt courses, restoring said held loops to their normal positions between the loopsof the last welt course and knitting a complete course of plain knitting on all the needles upon the said held loops and the loops of the last welt course to form a circular tubular welt enclosing said coils of elastic thread.

4. The method of forming a selvage by plain circular knitting, which consists in forming on a circular knitting machine a complete circular plain knit-course containing a number of loops equal to the full number of needles holding alternate loops of said plain knit course out of alignment with the intervening loops of the course, knitting a series of welt courses upon said intervening loops, each containing the same number of loops as said intervening loops of the first course, winding an elastic thread spirally around the fabric formed by said welt courses while supported by said held loops to form a number of coils less than the number of welt courses and-securing the opposite ends of said elastic thread to said fabric, and uniting said held loops and the loops of the last welt course to a complete course of plain knit loops, to form a circular tubular welt enclosing said coils of elastic thread.

5. The method of forming a selvage by plain knitting which consists in forming on a circular knitting machine a complete circular plain knit course containing a number of loops equal to the full number of needles knitting a plurality of welt courses on to alternate loops of said course of plain knitting, winding an elastic thread around the fabric formed by said welt courses,

and knitting a complete course of plain knitting on to the loops of the last welt course and the loops of the previously formed complete course to which the first welt course was not knitted to form a circular tubular welt enclosing the elastic thread.

6. The method of forming a selvage by plain knitting which consists in forming on a circular knitting machine a complete circular plain knit course containing a number of loops equal to the full number of needles knitting a plurality of welt courses on to alternate loops 01' said course of plain knitting, winding an elastic thread around the fabric formed by said welt courses to form a plurality of coils less in number than the number of welt courses, and securing the ends of the elastic thread to the fabric, and

knitting on to the loops of the last welt course and the loops of the previously formed complete course to which the first welt course was not knitted, to form a circular tubular welt enclosing said coils of elastic thread.

7. The method of forming a welt which conrality of welt courses on the remaining needles in the lower cylinder and during the formation of said welt courses, winding an elastic thread around the said welt courses, transferring the raised needles to the lower cylinder without disengaging their loops, and placing said loops in the upper hooks of said needles, and knitting a complete course of plain knit loops to form a circular tubular welt enclosing said elastic thread.

8. The method of forming a welt on a machine provided with upper and lower knitting cylinders, and needles having a hook and latch at each end, which consists in knitting a course of plain knit loops on all of the needles in the lower cylinder, transferring selected needles to the upper cylinder without disengaging their loops and holding said loops on the lower hooks of said selected needles without knitting, knitting a plurality of welt courses on the needles in the lower cylinder, and during the 'knitting thereof introducing an elastic thread, feeding it to certain of said needles to tie the end thereof, and winding said elastic thread without knitting it, around said welt courses, and again feeding it to certain of said needles to tie the end, and discontinuing the feeding of the elastic thread,

' transferring the needles in the upper cylinder to the lower cylinder, and passing them through their loops, to place the loops in engagement 5 with their upper hooks, and knitting a course of plain knitting on all the needles in the lower cylinder to form a circular tubular welt enclosing the elastic thread.

9.. The method of forming a welt on a machine provided with upper and lower cylinders, and needles having a hook and latch at each end, which consists in knitting a course oi. plain knit loops on all the needles in the lower cylinder,

transferring selected needles to the upper oyl- 15 inder through their loops to place' their loops in their lower hooks, and holding said loops without knitting, knitting a plurality of welt courses on the remaining needles in the lower cylinder. and during the formation of said welt courses introducing an elastic thread and winding it spirally around said welt courses to form a num-,- ber of coils less than the number of welt courses, transferringthe needles in the upper cylinder to the lower cylinder, and passing them through their loops to bring said loops to the upper hooks of the said needles, and knitting a complete course of plain knit loops on all the needles in the lower cylinder, said elastic thread at its opposite end portions being fed to certain needles r and knit into the welt courses, to tie the ends. JOHN H. MILLER. FRANK EVANS. 

